Custom Descriptions

[AlchemicRaker]

Perhaps...

In addition to seeing the character's description, you are also given links to view any other description the character had within the past day. (Including the previous description, if he changed his description on the current day, then you could click and see what it was before, which could help cut down on the red/blue haired thief problem)



I also like what Doug mentioned in the other thread, about the labels complimenting the custom descriptions.

I know it might not be the best idea, but... perhaps also allow a "temporary description". It would be used along with the custom description. The only difference is that you choose the expiration condition. So like...

Custom Description: He has a bandaged leg.
Temp Description: He is leaning against the sword shop, cutting a block of wood into a fancy celtic flute. <expires at end of project>

Temp Descriptions could be set to expire at the end of the project being worked on (or when you leave the project), when you leave the area, or after a certain date.




Also, consider showing character descriptions when you mouseover names on the events page.

Cheers
- Natso

[Snake_byte]

In your example, the character should role-play rolling up their sleeves for everyone to see before they change their description. If he doesn't want this action noticed, he should go inside, then roll up his sleeves, then come out. What we want to avoid with this is invisible action.

Hmm... well, if a group agrees on a certain secret signal to start an attack, it doesn't seem fair to demand that they draw attention on it by explicitly writing about it. In RL you would hardly notice if someone rolled up his sleeves or not unless you expect him to do it. Writing something like "He screams:'Attack! Attack!'" in his description would be something different, but performing hidden actions in this way should be okay if the action would be hidden anyway. If no message is generated for putting up a new hat, why shouldn't you be able to roll up your sleeves?

I agree with Piscator.

[SekoETC]

Natso, you're making it a bit too difficult. It would be handy to have status messages that expire after a while, but that would have to deal with ticks and if it could be erased by a whole lot of things, it would have to be processed in a whole lot of places, too. I was hoping to have half of the thing implemented yesterday but obviously it's going to take longer than that. I don't want to make it any more complicated than it already is.

And I kinda agree with Piscator. If people are able to change their clothes without message being generated then up to that, people should also be allowed to change status of their clothing without having to rp it. It would be good if people also rp'ed changing clothes when they do it in public, but if it seems like something others wouldn't pay attention to then it might as well be done without a message. It would probably be better for the attacking group to have the guy roll up his sleeves openly so that they won't have to keep staring at each other's pages and refreshing them all the time. But it could be like, one says "hey, take a look at my new shirt", and the other person looks in the description and notices the sleeves are rolled up, this would be okay because a verbal signal was given and it might potentially make others look as well, not just the intended target.

[SekoETC]

I'm bored... can I implement the first half already? (The first half would be allowing people to edit their descriptions, the second half is displaying the descriptions, which can only be done after the report to PD button has been added.)

[Snake_byte]

This could also be the start to different skin pigmentation as well as deformities.
Ei: much weaker than avg. charries having withered limbs...

[Doug R.]

I'm bored... can I implement the first half already? (The first half would be allowing people to edit their descriptions, the second half is displaying the descriptions, which can only be done after the report to PD button has been added.)

Yes, go ahead.

If no message is generated for putting up a new hat...

I think it should be. I think clothing removal/donning should generate an event. If some girl on the street started stripping, I would notice.

[AlchemicRaker]

If no message is generated for putting up a new hat...

I think it should be. I think clothing removal/donning should generate an event. If some girl on the street started stripping, I would notice.

This. Would also give reason to go into a room before changing clothes or whatever.

- Natso

[KVZ]

Well, yes. Or we would demand for every time char changes clothing item to RP it. I think it would be even more fair then if char goes inside, changes clothes, and go out, then to notice in RP that he went out changed to make everyone see it...

[Rebma]

I noticed that there is a 500 char limit, but that the box doesn't count or cut off at that. How will this be handled? Will whatever you type get cut off at 500 characters once you hit change?

It might be useful to have a counter built into the page, I've looked at a few and the script seems fairly simple to do..

[SekoETC]

I tried to use a Javascript copied from another page, but it didn't work. If someone else can find one that works, go ahead. Currently you can write as much as you like but when it saves it in the database, it'll truncate it after 500 characters.

Someone in PD should check that the "info character" page still works okay since the table structure was edited along with the addition of the ability to disallow people from editing their descriptions. I tested what I could in the test environment, but it didn't have all of the features available.

[Rebma]

So, okay, why is it truncating at 492?

[EchoMan]

Edit: Nevermind, it's the javascript thingu (that doesn't exist) that do what I wrote.

[SekoETC]

So, okay, why is it truncating at 492?

Apostrophes get prefixed with a backslash and quote marks and ampersands get recorded as a code so those might take up to six characters.

[Doug R.]

Someone in PD should check that the "info character" page still works okay since the table structure was edited along with the addition of the ability to disallow people from editing their descriptions. I tested what I could in the test environment, but it didn't have all of the features available.

So far, it works. We'll let you know if it doesn't.

[SekoETC]

I wonder how many characters a "medium text" can hold. I've been keeping an eye on the description changes report and so far it's 9 screens in Notepad with font size 16. I doubt it's in any danger of meeting the limit yet but during the first days, a lot of people are likely to enter a new description. I hope it won't get truncated in any point.